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Bingeling -> Automation and You (5/27/2014 1:05:18 PM)
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This is an attempt to explain how automating various features may influence the game. Hopefully it is useful for someone.
As a movie the game is pretty boring, automating everything is probably not a good idea.
There is at least one automation option only present in the Option screen. The Empire Policy Screen should have most options and allow you to automate them.
To access options, do for instance "Escape - Options" when viewing the default map view.
To access empire policy press the notebook button at the top of the screen.
Disclaimer, my worst automation attempts has been in older versions.
Empire policy from top to bottom:
Diplomacy
It can be a good idea to put "suggest" to be prompted and be made aware of thing. I have not tested automatic diplomacy for a long time, but that was more of an adventure than a good idea. For instance it did not tell me when it declared war.
I think that a "suggest" AI will never suggest to go to war, and for war and peace I am in doubt whether it will respond to every peace offer.
Economy and Trade
Unless you are very experienced, it is not necessary to mess with this.
Intelligence Missions
A prime "suggest" candidate to give reminders. Automating it should not have too nasty side effects. It is a good benefit to steal the operations map for the correct empire according to the war minister's plotting, though.
Colonization
A 4X with hands off colonization? Suggest is a good option. There is probably quite a lot to gain from placing the correct colonies, but what a good idea is is not a matter for this post.
Colonies - Facility building
Suggest is nice, but tweaking the settings and using automated could be a good option even if otherwise playing fully manual. If you got 30 colonies and research "fortified bunker", there will be 30 suggestions to build fortified bunker, or you have to click through all 30 to build them.
Colonies - Tax Rates
There is probably quite a bit to gain by doing this manually, but leaving it automated is a very valid option. I always automate them.
Research and Design
I prefer manual research and automated design. You can make better designs, but automated designs with some possible manual interfering is a very valid option.
You can un-check specific ship classes here to have the AI designer ignore them.
If you do automated designs and manual research, notice the weapons in the Tech Emphasizes. Those are the ones used on the ships by the AI designer, research those weapons, ignore the others.
Construction
I never automate it, but often have it on suggest. I have my own idea on what and how much to build.
Leaving it on suggest allows you to see how much the AI wants to spend on new stuff. I sometimes use this amount to stay within AI limits.
Troop Recruitment
I prefer to automate it, and to sometimes spam troops when needed. One "nasty" feature of automation can be that the AI starts disbanding colony troops when it feels short on cash, which could lead to shaky defenses when you have loaded 30 transports with troops and gone to war.
War and Attacks
If you automate this, do also automate all military ships unless playing as "fleet commander" or similar. I will leave it on suggest mostly to laugh at the AI's suggestions.
But they are not worse than that the AI may spank a new player, and the AI-empires always has all settings at "automated".
Boarding and Capture
This is where to look if you experience that captured ships are instantly scrapped.
Fleet formation
Do you want the AI to set up fleets or not? I never have this on auto.
These are from the options screen
Most here are duplicated with empire policy, these are exceptions:
Colony Population Policies
This is the "assimilate, exterminate, enslave" options. Doing them manually require you to be a bit alert when getting new colonies. If you have specific plans, turn this off.
Character locations
I always automate them as a personal preference. Little is lost, but you will have good troop generals on garrison duty and the best fleet admiral on a fleet that rarely see combat, while those fighting the epic battles got no admiral.
Newly built ships are automated
From options, press Empire Settings. This check-box is near the bottom, and its effect is obvious.
Ship Automation
Fleets
My style is all manual on military ships. I put defensive posture and minimum range to take all form of initiative away from the fleets. I probably should try a game with postures and less micro management.
Single military ships
The only military ships I run outside fleets are resupply ships. One can have a swarm of automated ships which gives a few ships near any pirate attack, I prefer to manually respond with a fleet.
Another exception is that the AI is good at loading single automated transports with troops.
My games usually end before the empire is giant and spans half the galaxy...
Exploration ships
I don't micro manage them, but can give them specific orders and then automate them. Ships always complete their order when you do this.
Construction ships
It is a perfectly valid option to automate them. You will then mostly ignore the resource side.
I would build extra gas mines on fuel sources this way: I select the source (gas planet or cloud), and press the "queue a construction ship to build a gas mine..." button below the selection panel. Beware that it is always the closest constructor, and if you queue up 10 builds in the same area it could take a while, while other construction ships are idle...
The same works for colonization, research and resort stations.
Please comment...
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